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Raising the Bar for College Admission: North Carolina's Increase in Minimum Math Course Requirements

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  • Charles T. Clotfelter

    (Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University Durham, NC 27708)

  • Steven W. Hemelt

    (Department of Public Policy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599)

  • Helen F. Ladd

    (Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University Durham, NC 27708)

Abstract

We explore the effects of a statewide policy change that increased the number of high school math courses required for admission to four-year public universities in North Carolina. Using data on cohorts of eighth-grade students from 1999 to 2006, we exploit variation by district over time in the math course-taking environment encountered by students. Purely as a result of a student's year of birth and location, students faced different probabilities of encountering a sequence of math courses sufficient to qualify for admission. Within an instrumental variables setup, we examine effects of this policy shift. We find that students took more math courses in high school following the state's announcement, with relatively larger increases for students in the middle and bottom quintiles of their eighth-grade math test scores. Our results suggest this increased math course-taking led to higher high school graduation rates. It also led to increases in enrollment rates at universities in the University of North Carolina system, with the largest increases being in the quintiles of student achievement from which universities were already drawing the bulk of their enrollees. Finally, we find scant evidence of boosts in post-enrollment college performance due to increased math course-taking in high school.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles T. Clotfelter & Steven W. Hemelt & Helen F. Ladd, 2019. "Raising the Bar for College Admission: North Carolina's Increase in Minimum Math Course Requirements," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 492-521, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:14:y:2019:i:3:p:492-521
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charles T. Clotfelter & Helen F. Ladd & Jacob L. Vigdor, 2015. "The Aftermath of Accelerating Algebra: Evidence from District Policy Initiatives," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(1), pages 159-188.
    2. Kalena E. Cortes & Joshua S. Goodman & Takako Nomi, 2015. "Intensive Math Instruction and Educational Attainment: Long-Run Impacts of Double-Dose Algebra," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(1), pages 108-158.
    3. Kristin Klopfenstein & M. Kathleen Thomas, 2009. "The Link between Advanced Placement Experience and Early College Success," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 75(3), pages 873-891, January.
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    7. Goodman, Joshua Samuel, 2012. "The Labor of Division: Returns to Compulsory Math Coursework," Scholarly Articles 9403178, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    8. Cortes, Kalena E. & Goodman, Joshua Samuel & Nomi, Takako, 2015. "Intensive Math Instruction and Educational Attainment," Scholarly Articles 34298862, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    9. Joshua Goodman, 2019. "The Labor of Division: Returns to Compulsory High School Math Coursework," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(4), pages 1141-1182.
    10. Mark C. Long & Patrice Iatarola & Dylan Conger, 2009. "Explaining Gaps in Readiness for College-Level Math: The Role of High School Courses," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1-33, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hemelt, Steven W. & Lenard, Matthew A., 2020. "Math acceleration in elementary school: Access and effects on student outcomes," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).

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    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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